Argosy Upgrade

I am a complete novice at making plugins. Heck, I had a hard time installing the NovaTools (which I am still not completely sure are installed correctly.)

For now, all I want to do is make a plugin that increases the performance on an Argosy (sort of like putting a Hemi Supercharger on a Cutlass so it can race Corvettes)

I love the Argosy design (reminds me of the DS-9 Defiant) but, as I have said elsewhere, it is SLOW.

I'll be downloading a few guides and Blank templates in hopes that these will help create this thing
But what I am truly stuck on is specific info on the Starbridge (which I am comparing the Argosy to) and the Argosy.

I've used Resedit, and looked at all the Nova files and I cannot seem to find the detailed info on these two ships.

Am I just not using ResEdit correctly? Can someone point me in the right direction?

I have done a search on this Forum for "ship data" and come up with nothing conclusive.

Any help would be much appreciated. If someone has created something similar, please contact me at:
iceknight2001@yahoo.com

The reason behind all this is that I have completed most threads with a decked out Starbridge. Nothing beats it when it is using Auroran armament, and many people have said this. I just want to try my hand at plugins and try a ship that can do what the starbridge can.

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Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20

(This message has been edited by Vast Deathmaster (edited 06-18-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
**But what I am truly stuck on is specific info on the Starbridge (which I am comparing the Argosy to) and the Argosy.
**

The Survival Guide at EVula Unlimited (that's not the name of the site; it just feels that way :)) has stats on the Nova ships. Try this: (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/evn-ships/freighters.html")http://www.evula.com...freighters.html(/url)

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"Your death will be the proof that Horus does not lie."
Roger Zelazny, Creatures of Light and Darkness

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
I am a complete novice at making plugins. Heck, I had a hard time installing the NovaTools (which I am still not completely sure are installed correctly.)

If NovaTools is installed, the Nova Data file, "Nova Data 1" should like like this:
Posted Image

Instead of this:
Posted Image

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
For now, all I want to do is make a plugin that increases the performance on an Argosy...

The easiest thing to do would be to make a plugin that adds a generic speed/accel increaser, ('Argosy Engine Upgrade' or something) and then make it only available when you have an argosy by copy/pasting all of the argosy shďp resources (found in Nova Data 1) into a new plugin, checking an unused contribute box in each of those, and then checking the apropriate require box in the outfit. You would still be able to see the outfit when you're in other ships, but not buy it.

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
I'll be downloading a few guides and Blank templates in hopes that these will help create this thing...

The templates you're thinking of are most likely the Nova TMPLs, which NovaTools is a replacement for. TMPLs are used basically the same way NovaTools is, except they have no real GUI. (It's all fields that you type numbers into.)

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
I've used Resedit, and looked at all the Nova files and I cannot seem to find the detailed info on these two ships.

Like I said, they're in the shďp resource group in Nova Data 1.

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
Am I just not using ResEdit correctly?

It's quite possible.

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
Can someone point me in the right direction?

You're already going in the right direction - You asked the Developers Corner.

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
I have done a search on this Forum for "ship data" and come up with nothing conclusive.

Nova is so new, there aren't really many topics explaining things yet.

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
Any help would be much appreciated. If someone has created something similar...

Try looking around the (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/addons.html")EV: Nova Addons Page(/url), if you haven't already that is.

Also on the addons page is an (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=guides&display;=date&file;=EVN_Bible_HTML.sit.hqx")HTML version of the Nova Bible(/url), which is a must have.

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Quote

Originally posted by Phil Barron:
The Survival Guide at EVula Unlimited (that's not the name of the site; it just feels that way:) )

Hah! I love the name! I may have to make it the unofficial name for (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/")the site.(/url) 😉

Anyway, the ship pages that you need:
(url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/evn-ships/freighters.html#starbridge")http://www.evula.com...html#starbridge(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/evn-ships/auroran.html#argosy")http://www.evula.com...ran.html#argosy(/url)

Unfortunatly, I don't have the stat information on the Starbridge because, well, I didn't have time to go over all the variants of the Starbridge (there are several) before version 1.01 came out, and I didn't want to do all that work, only to do it over again for the second version. It should be complete soon enough... ("soon enough" is a relative term; it's soon enough for me, but not soon enough for you :p).

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Thanks for the help. I got ResEdit working, and with Madfax7's suggestions I got it to work. I have noticed some funny things whilst creating this plugin.
1. The acceleration speed in ResEdit is HALF of what is listed in game.
2. The acceleration upgrade that I give in my plugin comes out to half of what I intended (So if I designated an increase of 200, the increase in game comes out to +100)

I am having trouble understanding the ID#s, and which ones I can use. For example, my decription ID might be 128, but in game that appears to be some other description. Yet, the plugin still works.

I am currently using the Thorium Reactor picture for my "refit".

I'm not an artist, so it would be nice if the creators of the graphics for this game also created some miscellaneous graphics. That way plug-in makers would not have to recycle the ones provided in the game.

Anyway, thanks for all the help. When I get stuck again, I will certainly post here for help! 🙂

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Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
**I'm not an artist, so it would be nice if the creators of the graphics for this game also created some miscellaneous graphics. That way plug-in makers would not have to recycle the ones provided in the game.
**

Hate to burst your bubble, but chances are that that's not what's going to happen. You're either going to have to recycle pictures, or find someone who can emulate Nova's graphics.

Matrix

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"Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."

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Originally posted by what_is_the_matrix:
**Hate to burst your bubble, but chances are that that's not what's going to happen. You're either going to have to recycle pictures, or find someone who can emulate Nova's graphics.

Matrix

**

Consider my bubble busted! 🙂

There used to be a place called SCIFI Art.com, they folded and reopened (url="http://"http://hippiesatemysangies.whoadude.com/")elsewhere(/url)

Kind of a cool place, but I think this is just the remenants of that group

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Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20

(This message has been edited by Vast Deathmaster (edited 06-21-2002).)

Ok, one last question. I want to make the Upgrade only available to Argosy ships. What do I have to add to the outfit file to do that?

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Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
**Ok, one last question. I want to make the Upgrade only available to Argosy ships. What do I have to add to the outfit file to do that?

**

You could use that Starbridge -> Mod Starbridge upgrade as a reference for your outfit.

Matrix

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"Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
**Ok, one last question. I want to make the Upgrade only available to Argosy ships. What do I have to add to the outfit file to do that?

**

More specifically, all shďp resources have what are known as "Contribute" and "Require" fields. These fields look like a grid of checkboxes in NovaTools. What you need to do is open up the standard Argosy (watch it, there are several variations which the player can't buy, you need ID 138), and set some Contribute fields. There are a handful of these used in the game, and I don't think there's a library of them. You best bet is to pick a checkbox in the middle of the grid. Now the Argosy has a contribute string, you need to open up the oütf for your Argosy Upgrade. Now, set the same checkbox in the oütf's Require grid that you did in the shďp's Contribute grid. Optionally, you can check "Show only if Require bits are met". This will only make the outfit appear if the player has an Argosy. If you don't check this, then the outfit will always appear, but the player won't be able to buy it unless they have an Argosy.

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If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you'll be fired with enthusiasm.
-Vince Lombardi

Or you could just read the EVN bible. 😛 🙂 😉 😄

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